Why exactly does Reid want to wait for the House? Why can’t the Senate go ahead and pass the bills the way they should happen, and then it goes back to the House?
Is this just a move to prevent the House from then only passing the immigration part and forcing another veto, or is there more to it?
Jeff Sessions, like virtually all of his radical, right-wing colleagues, is a coward. Let the Repubs shut down Homeland Security and take the blame. If they want war, give it to 'em!
The optimistic reason: He wants Boehner to force his caucus to do the right thing.
The political reason: He knows that whatever passes the Senate can pass only with Democratic votes, which TEA Party types would see as compromise and thus a loss. Reid already knows Boehner is already a weak Speaker–he can’t control the Tea Party folks–and just wants to weaken him further.
Am I missing something? I do not understand why Reid would not allow a vote unless Boehner kicks in a positive. Senate should vote on a clean bill, then it is clearly 100% a House problem.
“The Senate remains stuck for now, though. Reid insisted, remarkably, that Senate Democrats wouldn’t allow a vote without a commitment from Boehner to bring up a “clean” DHS funding bill in the House.”
“Sessions stared at the questioner silently before looking down as his senators-only elevator closed.” That is EPIC! Buncha idiots.
Having been in a government shutdown before, it is easy to see that none of you see how badly this is going to hurt the employees. How would you like to work without getting paid? They may get paid when the shutdown ends; but, when will that be? What if it lasts a month, 2 months, etc.? How will they feed their children, pay their rent, etc.? I hope it looks really, really bad for the Republicans because not only do they not care about the safety of the country, they don’t care about the employees who do work at keeping us safe. They are just pawns for a game for the Republicans. Everyone involved in this and those who think it is okay are all scumbags.
Watching these Republican lunatics fight among themselves is priceless. Every government shutdown in modern memory has been done by Republicans. When Mitch McConnell has to beat his chest and declare “There will be no government shutdowns” on his watch (which is looking like a lie) you know where the American public is going to pin the blame~on the same Republican party that makes shutdowns part of it’s MO.
This is the first shot from the Teabaggers. I expect them to do a replay of the last shutdown. DHS workers will have to work for no pay for a couple weeks.
The next shot will come when the Teabaggers default on the National Debt this summer.
The third shot will come in October when they once again shut down the government. Only this time, the Teabaggers will keep the government shut down for a couple months.
Been there and done this since the Republicans started this crap with the Hyde Amendment back in the 70s.
They don’t like it when you extend their words to their logical conclusions, and call their bluffs.
The bill that Reid wouldn’t allow a vote on was the House bill that was conflated with repealing Obama’s executive actions. I believe he is going to vote on the clean Senate bill.
No, Reid is not letting a vote happen until Boehner agrees to bring the clean bill up in the House, where it would easily pass with Dem votes…but seriously piss off the tea partiers. McConnell rolled over, so Reid is playing upon the real issue within the GOP…the schism between the establishment and tea party wings and creating a face down with Boehner.
Boehner is in an extremely tough spot, as neither the Majority Leader or Majority Whip support him. So the more Boehner is forced to do that angers the tea party wing, the more likely it becomes that they will call for another election and oust him.
Reid is not allowing a vote because he is bringing pressure to bear upon the internal GOP split between the Establishment and Tea Party wings. McConnell rolled over, as pretty much expected, but it’s rather pointless if Boehner refuses to bring up the clean bill in the House. So by facing off with Boehner now, he either faces riling up the Tea Party, or getting the GOP blamed for a shutdown, which pisses off the Establishment wing.
All of this is happening as they are starting to gear up their primary campaigns…which, on that level, its a brilliant move. The more friction we create in their party, and the more riled up the TPers get at the establishment…the better for us in 2016.
They continue to “discover” that playing politics requires two things they completely don’t understand. First, they’re just not very good playing the game, and second, the American People are aware of their utter lack of policies or plans to make the country better. In short, they’re forced to do something “right” only because they’re deathly afraid of the fact that people will figure out their game, and toss them out in 2016.
I second what Chammy said. You have been missed.
So much for Repukes being able to govern.
“…shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security…”
We all knew the Department of Homeland Security was created by the Republican Party as a political joke in the “War on Terror”.
Republicans now admit it isn’t necessary. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be closing just it.
You were right. Thanks for the input.
Unfortunately, the low info voters and/or racists to whom that Party appeal don’t want the truth. They want to believe the president is “Jimmy Carter” and a tyrant too, a non Putin non leader who threatens the nation with monumental overreach nonetheless.
Yup; but the rest of the country should know the reality. And with Republicans constantly yelling “lawless!” the Dems really need to counter forcefully with the fact that he’s acting well within his legal authority. (Lord knows they can’t depend on the media to do so.) But too many of them seem genuinely unsure of that. They need to be armed with the truth.